A word-of-mouth downtown hit, Titaníque bears more than a passing resemblance to another buzzy show that made it to Broadway, the Tony-winning Oh, Mary! Both projects take a particularly tragic moment in the nation’s history—in this case, the sinking of the Titanic—and tell the story from a different, kookier perspective. But unlike its Broadway predecessor, Titaníque has more than just American history to mine for comedy—it also lampoons James Cameron’s 1997 Oscar-winning blockbuster, Titanic, starring a young Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio as star-crossed lovers Rose and Jack. As if that weren’t enough, Titaníque also dares to ask this question: What if Céline Dion, the iconic French Canadian chanteuse who sang the movie’s timeless anthem, “My Heart Will Go On,” were actually aboard the Titanic in 1912? And, what’s more, what if Jack and Rose’s fictional love story were set to Dion’s inimitable catalogue, which includes but is not limited to certified adult-contemporary bops like “Taking Chances,” “I Surrender,” and “All by Myself”? With that hyperspecific, insanely stupid premise, Titaníque set sail.
Of course, an idea this profoundly dumb (which, in this case, is a compliment) could only be conceived under the influence of alcohol. “When this idea came to be, we were drunk at a bar,” says Mindelle, who plays Dion as an omniscient diva narrator. “Making each other laugh. We were miserable in 2016,” adds Rousouli, who stars as Jack, iconically played by a young DiCaprio. Tried-and-true theater kids, Mindelle and Rousouli had already ascended to theater’s highest echelon by 2016. Mindelle had tread the Broadway boards in a revival of South Pacific and had originated plum roles in Cinderella and the Sister Act musical, while Rousouli had taken his turn playing pretty boy Broadway roles like Link Larkin in Hairspray and Fiyero in Wicked. Still, like many hyperambitious, multihyphenate performers, Broadway wasn’t enough. “I got on Broadway, but then I was still always craving, like, God, I really want authority over my life and my career,” shares Mindelle.
So, independently of each other, Mindelle and Rousouli moved to Los Angeles, where they both were convinced a fresh start in Hollywood would turn them into stars overnight. Hollywood had other plans. “That’s where your dreams go to die,” says Rousouli, referring to Los Angeles. Mindelle puts it another way: “LA slapped me on the face so fucking hard. They were like, ‘Sorry, diva girl!’”
While working at an LA dinner theater, the two struggling actors met Tye Blue, who was also living out his own Hollywood nightmare. “I was casting reality TV shows and making okay money, but it was still very toxic and not making me feel good about my life,” Blue tells me.
“You wake up and you’re like, Hmm, I’ve been here for five years and nothing’s happened. I guess I should listen to somebody that says, ‘You should create your own stuff,’” says Rousouli. “And I was like, Fuck you.”
Marla MindellePhotographer Emilio Madrid
Thankfully, Mindelle was already well-versed in creating her own stuff. For a certain type of gay boy with a musical-theater addiction and who had unfettered access to the internet as a teenager (a.k.a. me), Mindelle has been a household name for decades. In the aughts, Mindelle was musical-theater-YouTube-famous thanks to videos like “Marla Mindelle – Colors of the Wind” and a performance of a cabaret she wrote and starred in, showcasing her sharp wit, comedic fearlessness, and powerful and flexible mix belt. But while thousands of musical-theater fans online could see—instantly, clearly—that she was a star, Mindelle wasn’t treated as such at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where she studied in a prestigious BFA program.
